


Pride Before The Fall

by theauthorish



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 06:37:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15188972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthorish/pseuds/theauthorish
Summary: Allen is extremely proud of his flirting skills, which he constantly exercises on Link in hopes of maybe, possibly having a chance with his crush.Link, meanwhile, finds pride in his professionalism, especially since Allen Walker-- who should absolutely not be (but still is) someone he is infatuated with, since he is a mission-- keeps teasing him, almost like he were hitting on him.The question is: will they fall in love? Or just fall out?





	Pride Before The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo if you're wondering about For Tonight, I am not abandoning that I'm just really slow, and this is something I've been sitting on for a while but got too bored to continue, so I'm uploading it as a oneshot! Kudos and comments are appreciated as always!

Link was staring again. Allen could see him out of the corner of his eye-- not that he minded. He was rather flattered, actually.

The CROW had been assigned to watch him, he knew. It was just a duty. But lately, Allen caught him ogling more and more often, and his gaze held something more than attentive scrutinization. His general relationship with Allen, too, was less formal and stiff than it had been. Allen liked to think it meant he had even the faintest wisp of a chance.

Even more surprising was that Link was beginning to flush and stammer sometimes, when Allen teased a little too much. Or if Allen was being particularly stupid, he would sigh in exasperation, but a reluctant, almost fond smile would curl his lips too, and... he really did have the most lovely mouth.

Allen wasn't shy about his crush on Link, he really wasn't. He flirted with the inspector shamelessly-- in fact, he took an almost ridiculous amount of joy in leaving the other man flustered, although he would immediately apologize and placate him by sharing some sweets with him. (The first time he'd done it, the others at their table had stared at him in shock. Allen never shared food.)

But back to the matter at hand. Allen had been sucking on a lollipop, and had just yanked it out of his mouth with a wet, lewd-sounding smack. Entirely unintentional, of course, but judging by the way Link's eyes had immediately dropped to his lips-- and stayed there-- and the flush now crawling to the tips of his ears, this could be a very singular opportunity for a good tease.

"Is something the matter, Link?" Allen asked, shooting him a sunny, innocent smile that completely belied what he meant to do next.

Link jolted, flushing further at having been caught, Allen supposed. "Ah... n-no." The inspector took a breath. Released it. "No. Everything is all right, Walker."

"Oh? That's good then." Allen grinned a little wider, and though Link must have seen the edge in it, he had barely any time to wonder what exactly Allen had planned this time before he was...

Licking the lollipop. Torturously slow. Actually licking it. He was smirking like a devil, somehow making what should have been a very mundane action look incredibly sensual. Especially since he held eye contact with Link the entire time. "I'd hate," Allen continued, as if he didn't know the effect he was having on Link, "for there to be an issue."

His voice was low, practically a purr, and Allen had to fight back a laugh as the color of Link's face edged closer to purple out of sheer embarrassment-- something he hadn't even considered possible.

There were several beats of silence, but as Allen moved to repeat the action, Link seemed to snap out of his daze, forcing his gaze onto a spot just above Allen's head. "If you'll excuse me, Walker, I think I'll go fetch our paperwork from the room. Since you seem disinclined to finish up here so we can start at a reasonable time," he gritted out, getting to his feet. He then left the cafeteria all together. To do exactly as he'd said he would, Allen presumed. Maybe wrestle his face back into his usual blank mask.

"Shame," Allen sighed, sticking his candy back into his mouth. "I'd been hoping I could put all that off for a while yet."

With the distraction of Link and his admittedly adorable reactions gone, Allen finally noticed Lavi cackling from his seat at the table, and Lenalee's own reluctant smile. "What?" He asked, all innocence.

Not.

While Lavi attempted to rein in his amusement enough to answer, Lenalee's features settled into a disapproving expression. "You shouldn't tease him so much, Allen-kun," she chided, the effect only somewhat lessened by the hints of laughter leaking into her tone. "You know it bothers him."

Lavi piped up, "Yeah, sprout. I mean, it's hilarious and I love-- OW! Lena! Y'didn't have to _kick_ me!" He rubbed at his knee, shooting a half-hearted glare at the culprit. She glared right back. Then she raised one foot menacingly, and Lavi paled considerably. "Fine, all right. You're taking it a smidge too far, don'cha think?"

Allen sighed, dropping his head onto the table. "I guess. But he's just so... urgh." Allen grumbled something unintelligible. Raising his voice again, he said, "He won't react to anything not outrageous. He won't even shut me down outright! At least if he rejected me, I could move on in good conscience!"

Lenalee let out a giggle at that. "Sure. The fact that he responds so cutely doesn't factor in at all."

"Of course it does," Allen scoffed. "I was just getting to that."

Lavi shook his head. "Honestly, Al," he chuckled. "You are something else."

Kanda finally saw fit to join them with a tray of soba, the dampness of his hair and the scent of soap in the air suggesting he'd come from a shower. "What did the _moyashi_ do this time?" He demanded without preamble.

Before Allen could protest the nickname-- why on earth couldn't Kanda learn a measly two syllable name?-- Lavi responded, "He was teasing Two Spots again." He smirked.

Lenalee sighed. "Terribly too. Absolutely no mercy on him whatsoever."

"Hey!" Allen protested. "He has no mercy on me either! He won't straight out reject or return my..." he flailed his arms a moment as he searched for the word. "Affections," he finished finally.

Kanda snorted. "As if anyone would, _moyashi_."

"No one asked for your opinion, BaKanda," came the answer, with a matching sickly sweet smile. "Besides, at least I can flirt, unlike you. I can do it well too."

Kanda opened his mouth to retort, but Lenalee quickly stepped in. "Enough! Allen, just... tone it down a little, right?"

:::::

Inspector Howard Link was most definitely not affected by Allen's... flirtations. Not at all.

His body seemed to have an issue with that statement, though, judging by the flush dusting his cheekbones. That, and the tiny flare of heat that had unfurled just below his navel, watching Allen taste his sweet.

God. That boy would be the death of him.

As it stood, his quick exit had helped him preserve a certain amount of his dignity, and his professionalism remained. It was his only solace, really; Walker was absolutely off-limits because he was a mission, not a viable romantic interest or even a possible friend, and no amount of infatuation was going to change what his job was, so.

So.

He could at least do that job right, have something to be proud of.

Once he'd shut down any and all fantasies his mind attempted to conjure, and the warmth in his face had faded, Link picked up the stack of documents he and Allen had to work on today. Today's stack wasn't especially high, thankfully. Even he got tired of paperwork after so long.

These in hand, he made his way back to the cafeteria, where he was only mildly surprised to find Kanda Yuu seated now as well, eating his customary soba. The samurai didn't even spare him a glance, which was perfectly fine with Link.

Allen, meanwhile, let out a drawn out and very loud groan at seeing the stack of forms he was carrying. This was less fine, but manageable. More so than his stunt with the lollipop, at any rate. "Walker, don't whine. It's unbecoming."

"I am not whining," Allen grumbled. "I'm complaining. Wordlessly."

Lavi snickered. "Sure Al. 'Cept I gotta agree with Two Spots here. You're definitely whining."

"Thank you, Bookman Junior."

"Anytime, Two Spots." Lavi gave him a finger gun, then turned back to his conversation with Lenalee.

Allen looked offended by this. Even though it was true. "Well." He huffed out something else that Link didn't quite catch, then settled back into silence.

Link sighed. He was probably going soft-- it was the only explanation for what he did next. Setting down their work, he said, "How about this, Walker. I still have some pastries in the kitchen from my last baking session. For every five pages you finish, I'll give you one."

Allen's eyes lit up, and Link had to fight back a smile. He was such a child, sometimes... actually, he really was one, wasn't he? It was so easy to forget he was only 15. What with the things he did, the way he carried himself, the weight of his past... the haunted look in his eyes and the layers upon layers and layers of masks he wore daily-- yes, it was so easy to forget he was really rather young, with all that.

All the more reason to forget his infatuation with the boy. A five year gap certainly wasn't insurmountable, but it was quite substantial.

"Well, Walker? Is that a yes?" Link prompted.

Allen nodded enthusiastically, and swiped a small sheaf from the top of the stack to start. Link just barely held back a fond chuckle-- it wouldn't do really, to show that he was becoming attached to his charge. It really wouldn't.

The look Lavi was giving him right now though-- knowing and sly and amused all at once-- indicated that it may have been too late for that. He stood and held out a hand to Lenalee. "Hey, Lenalady, we should get to that mission of ours, don'cha think?"

"Of course!" She agreed, taking it. "Bye you guys! Allen, Kanda, try not to fight so much!" And then they were gone. Link pretended he hadn't noticed Lavi's expression, nor the twinkle in Lenalee's eyes.

Kanda snorted, grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, "Like fucking hell I will," and got up as well. He didn't bother with a greeting; just stacked his dishes neatly and stalked off to deposit them on the designated rack. He didn't come back.

Which left Link distractionless. Wonderful.

He had a feeling it was on purpose, too. Damn those three.

"I finished one set!" Allen announced, triumphantly waving the sheets of paper before setting them aside neatly. "Better get those pastries, Link. I can't wait to try them!"

Link huffed out a breath that was part laugh, part sigh. "I'll be back, then. Keep working Walker."

:::::

Allen had finished another three sets of five in the time it took Link to gather all the goodies and bring them back.

"Oh! Are those eclairs?" He called, as the inspector approached, an overloaded tray in his hands.

Link raised an eyebrow. "You know perfectly well they are. Are these the ones you want first?"

Allen bobbed his head eagerly, and Link picked an empty plate out of the jumble of desserts. He handed this to Allen, then set four of the treats on it. "Here, Walker. Just be sure not to make a mess of the forms while you eat."

The exorcist rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother," he said dryly, though not without a soft smile teasing the edges of his mouth.

Link huffed. "Finish your food Walker, then get back to work," he said, choosing not to grace Allen with a retort.

Allen laughed, but complied without another word. Days like these were becoming few and far between-- days when he didn't feel the 14th's legacy looming over him like a death sentence, when he wasn't hounded by worry for his friends or himself or the world at large. Moments when his smile wasn't plastered on but genuine. He'd almost forgotten how good it felt, and he had Link to thank for this particular reminder.

"Thank you," he said, voice soft, hoping Link would assume the gratitude was for the food.

Of course he didn't. "For?"

Allen shrugged. "Everything, I guess."

Link didn't seem to have a proper response for that. Instead he only repeated, "Finish your food Walker. There's still a lot of work to do."

:::::

Bribing Allen with food seemed to be the most effective method to get him productive, which meant that Link was spending more and more time in the kitchen. He was just grateful that Jerry didn't seem to mind sharing the space. Actually, he appeared to have taken a liking to Link's company, often sharing gossip he'd heard around the Order-- which Link alternately listened to and tuned out as he baked. In exchange, Link would recount stories of the places he'd been. Of course, they often swapped recipes and expertise as well, which was a plus for both of them.

Depending on the size of the resultant product or the effort required by each recipe, Link would adjust the number of pages Allen had to complete to earn them, and though he occasionally complained, Allen's protests were never too serious. It wasn't like Link's adjustments were unreasonable.

Several weeks later, this particular method of motivation was routine, and Allen had just polished off the last of Link's tarts when he suddenly said, "Hey Link."

Link quirked an eyebrow curiously.

"Did you actually have any of the tarts before you gave them to me?" He asked. It was a bit strange, especially out of nowhere as it was, but... Allen was just like that, sometimes.

"Well, not this particular batch, no. I tasted the filling, just to be sure my experimentation hadn't rendered it inedible, but... no," Link answered after a beat of silence.

"Hm... it's too bad. They were especially good today," Allen sighed, propping his chin up on the table with his fist.

This was... suspicious to say the least. Link couldn't pinpoint why, exactly, but he just knew it. Allen was up to something. "Thank you for the compliment," he hazarded, because that, at least, should be safe. "But..." he began, pausing to reconsider whether his curiosity would only egg Allen on. Finally, he decided to just ask. "What is the point of lamenting it now?"

He shouldn't have asked, he realized, as Allen smirked ever so slightly. He was going to tease him again, wasn't he?

"You should taste them," Walker declared, as if he hadn't just said that it was too late for Link to do just that.

"And how, pray tell, would I do that?" Link asked, honestly baffled. Allen was flashing that smile, the one he had on when he was cheating at cards or swindling someone for money, and he was leaning closer, closer...

Link found he couldn't move away. His eyes dropped to Allen's lips without his consent, and Allen poked his tongue out, licked them in a slow show that had him unconsciously mirroring the action.

"Well..." he began. "The taste is still on my lips." He shrugged fluidly, flaunting the catlike grace he sometimes had. "You could try that."

Link barely kept from sputtering. As it was, the only thing betraying his embarrassment was the red flooding his cheeks and the long silence as he scrambled to find something to say.

"That's... hardly appropriate, Walker," he managed. To his relief, it didn't sound nearly so strangled or frantic as he thought it would. "Our relationship isn't like that. It can't be."

Allen looked... almost disappointed at his response, but in an instant it was replaced by his usual polite smile-- fake, fake, fake, Link's mind was chanting, but this was what he wanted, wasn't it? The twisting in his gut... must have been something he ate. Yes.

"Of course. Sorry, Link. I admit I've been taking it too far," he said lightly.

"Walker, it's fine, just--"

"It's not." Allen's voice brooked no contradiction, though it was still plenty pleasant. "I apologize."

Link felt his stomach curl into a tighter knot as Allen went ahead and stood, stretching. Still smiling (Link decided quietly that he hated this smile more than ever), he asked Link to excuse him as he went to the training hall.

Link let him go without a word. (After, of course, extracting a promise from him to be back at their quarters in an hour sharp. He could be considerate of Allen's clear need to be alone, but he still had a job to do.)


End file.
